A History To Tell
by Lady Winterlight
Summary: The first story in the Finding A New Life series; the early history of Linilya Aurêl. I was asked by several people for a back-story to my OC from "Finding Love" and this is the beginning of that line of tales. Pre-romance.
1. Chapter 1

Title: "A History to Tell"

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Rating: PG

Spoilers: None, as yet

Feedback: Keeps me writing!

Disclaimer: If I owned any of Tolkien's work, would I really write fanfiction? However, Linilya, her history and such are mine.

Author's note: Because Tolkien never clearly stated anywhere how long elves take to grow up, only that they live long lives, I have written this on the assumption that it takes them the better part of 100 years to fully mature. Since most of the elves in LotR are well over 1000 years old, and some much more than that, I didn't think that was unreasonable. If you approximate 100 for an elf with 20 or 21 for a modern human, that makes about five years to our one. But humans don't live to see 200!

Dedication: To Prophecy, for being my beloved Beta. Thank you, hon! Also, to everyone who asked for a story about Linilya's past... you may have gotten more than you bargained for!

* * *

Chapter 1 - _In the Beginning_

"Tell us of your past," spoke the Elder. "We wish to know more of you and from whence you came."

"Where shall I begin?" Linilya queried softly. She struggled hard to appear less intimidated than she truly was; the only comfort she had was that she knew one other in the council hall. He was with her, the leader of the group who had found her. Legolas was his name. His presence was a comfort, though; they had become friends over the past weeks.

"Begin with the first thing you clearly remember," spoke another of the council. The rest murmured agreement, and so she nodded her head once before beginning.

"The farthest back I can remember, I have an image of two people. An ellon and an elleth, my parents." Her voice was wistful and sad. She wished she could remember more of them, but was glad that she knew as much as she did. "I used to dream of them often. My mother, a golden lady, with a voice at once like a bird and also like the mellow tones of a river. And always with her, a man who was less golden, though no less bright. He had a gentle voice, but deep like the sea or a mild thunderstorm. I cannot remember but that they loved me very much.

"I do remember clearly how they died. I was very small - little more than 30 years. We were having a picnic on the banks of a river - the Anduin, I believe. We had taken a little boat down the river but a ways and set out our lunch. We were relaxing in the sun afterwards when the attack came. Little creatures, dark and ugly, swarmed upon us. My parents took to their bows and many of the little things were killed. But after a time, they kept coming. My mother put me into the boat with the leftovers from lunch, the blanket, and the paddle. Then she pushed the boat into the current. I think... I think they hoped that when the danger was gone, they could follow downstream and find me again. But they were... overwhelmed." Her voice broke on the last word.

She paused and took a few breaths before continuing on. "I was very frightened, alone, but eventually I fell asleep in the boat. When I woke, I was very far away, though I knew it not. I understood little of what had happened, at the time. But I was hungry, so I ate and then slept again. While I slept the second time, the boat was discovered. By Men. I woke to the sound of voices, harsh and strange to my ears. But then a man knelt down in front of the boat and spoke softly to me. I could not understand and tried to tell him so, but he could no more understand me than I could him." Linilya thought for a short time, remembering a long way back. Her voice grew stronger as she continued with relatively more recent memories.

"That was my first meeting with the Man who took me in as his own daughter. I came to trust him when one of the men became impatient with his attempt to coax me out of the boat. The strange man tried to pick me up and move me, and I screamed. Father stopped him quick, and they left me alone after that. As time passed, I clung to him. He was gentle with me, and I felt safe with him."

"He was good to you, then?" one of the Elder queried.

"Yes, he was. Right from the first. After a time, the group returned to their home - a town in the country now known as Rohan. Father took me home with him, and his wife took to me at once. Over a time, they taught me to speak the Common Tongue and many other things. When I knew enough to understand, they told me that they would be as my parents and that their family would be mine. Father said that he was taken with me right away, for to his eyes I was such a pretty, golden child. And that anyone who loved children could not help but wish to care for one so obviously lost, alone and frightened."

"You truly loved them, child. Anyone can see that in you. You were very fortunate that you were found and fostered by such kind people." Her eyes focused on the Elder who had spoken, and she nodded slowly. p

"I know that I was fortunate. My parents cared for me, and when they passed away their eldest daughter continued to care for me. My foster-sisters called me their ever-child, for they grew much faster than I did. I lived with them for three of their generations. They taught me all that they could; I learned my letters and numbers, the Elvish language and a bit of Elvish script from an old scholar, the use of bow and knife, and much in the way of herb-lore such as the Men know it. And truly, I had not completely lost the language, for my father encouraged me to speak it even once I learned the Common, and he enjoyed listening to me sing such songs as children know. Even when he could not understand them."

"Why did you leave?" one of the Elders asked. "You seem to have been happy there."

Linilya grew quiet, and a frown crossed her delicate features. Her fingers toyed with the ring on the third finger of her right hand, betraying her uneasiness. Legolas, watching her, also frowned slightly. She usually seemed everlastingly optimistic. What could make her frown so?

"In the end, I had to leave," she admitted reluctantly. "One of my brothers fell sick in his later years. His children and their children, recalling the songs and legends, said that Elves could heal and that I was obviously an Elf. Could I not heal Faranor?"

She took a deep breath and continued in a softer tone, "I went to him and I tried, as they bid me. I could feel my own energy within me, but I could not send it to him to make him better. I tried until I was exhausted. Then after I slept, I tried again. In the end, Faranor himself told me to desist. 'Twas me and his eldest daughter, and he said, 'Lini, you cannot do what you have not been taught to do. You have learned something by your trying, but I would not have you hurt yourself in trying to help me. I shall pass in peace, and no burden shall be laid on you.' His gaze switched to his daughter and he spoke once more, 'That is my wish, daughter.' Mirani nodded and called her sister and her daughter to watch over Faranor while she helped me to my bed."

"But Men, being who they are, do not easily forgive and forget what they see as the failing of another. They blamed you regardless, did they not?"

Linilya bowed her head and closed her eyes. She felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder, offering some small measure of comfort, and she turned her head. Legolas gave her a reassuring smile, and Linilya found the heart to continue her tale.

"Some of them did not, but many felt as if I had failed or perhaps not tried hard enough. I lived with it for a time, but I could not stand it for long. Of such stern stuff I am not made. I spoke to Mirani and the others who held me blameless, and they gave me all I needed to make my own way. I had learned much in my time with them, and I knew I could care for myself. I took my bow and my knives and such other things as I would need and made my way north. My father had told me that I was found drifting south on the river, and that he believed my people must live in the north.

"I traveled a great distance, mostly on foot. Until at last I came to a great forest, which I later learned was the Fangorn. I had always loved the trees, and I was happy to stay in the forest for quite some time. Fruit and other edibles were plenty, there were streams from which I could drink, and I was content to stay there while I could. I cut no trees and harmed no creatures, and so I went unnoticed for many years. But I learned that one cannot live undiscovered in that Forest for long. On one fine summer day, some ten years after leaving home, I was confronted by a strange being. It resembled a large oak tree, and had a voice that rumbled like the earth. And so it was that I met my first Ent."

Now Linilya smiled. Her time with the Ents had been peaceful and mostly happy. "I lived in Fangorn for nearly five centuries. Even that amount of time is but the blink of an eye to an Ent, many of whom are as old as the forests. They do not often use their real names to address one another, and so to them I was known as Waterlily. Those who moved about would come to visit me. Those who did not would on occasion send me a message to visit them. From the Ents I learned to speak to and understand the trees, and I learned a little of the history of their forest and their people. But after such a long time, I grew lonely. From their history, I had learned that there were indeed Elves living northward and also westward, on the other side of the mountains.

"I spent several days taking my leave of the Ents. They do things very slowly, and they call all others 'hasty' because that is the way they perceive them. But I went slowly and after a time they bid me a fond farewell. They did what they could to facilitate my travel through Fangorn itself, and I knew that as long as I traveled within their boarders I was safe. But I became wary when I left the forest. Well did I remember what had befallen my birth-parents, and I took pains to be careful that it would not happen to me as well."

She considered how long her tale had become and decided to skip over somewhat of her wanderings - much of it was not worth telling. "Taking my time and going carefully, I crossed the mountains and continued north. The trip took me more than a year, for I spent the time to be as hidden as I could be and many times I did not keep to one road. I went west for a time, then back east, but always continuing northward. One evening, on the edge of what I believe you call Rhovanion, the Wilderlands, I chanced across a meeting of sorts. For the first time in hundreds of years, I beheld another Elf. It was Legolas, speaking to a Man which I now know to be a Ranger. There were three Elves and two Men, to my eyes, so I remained cautious and tried to stay hidden. But the Rangers were more perceptive then I knew, and they saw me."

"Rangers are more than just Men. They carry the blood of Númenór," an Elder told her. She nodded slowly and filed the information away for later to find out what that meant. The term was new to her.

"Indeed, they must be more because I had never before been seen when I wished not to be. But the Rangers were swift and one caught hold of my arm, stopping me from leaving. It is probably just as well that I had no weapon near to hand or I might have been hurt. "

"Perhaps." The Elder then turned to Legolas. "Since you were there, Legolas, perhaps you would care to continue the tale?"

The Elvish prince nodded his acquiescence and backtracked just slightly. "I was speaking with the Ranger known as Strider, whom we call Estel. It was his companion who saw Linilya, and mostly he saw the moonlight glinting off of her hair and moved to stop her from leaving when she turned away. But he recognized her instantly as an elf and so released her, asking only who she was and what she was about. It is most unusual to find an elf travelling alone at all in these times, let alone a lady." Some of the listeners nodded agreement, and he continued, "She replied that she was a traveler searching for her family, and named herself as Linilya. She said that from what little she knew, not knowing the last name she held at birth likely made no difference but since she had not been raised among us she had not been given an adult name."

"Are you so careless with the truth, then, young one? That you will give such information to any who ask?"

"Not at all, lord, but something in me said I could trust them, those Men and Elves. And that is a part of me which I long ago learned to trust." Her reply was soft, but there was strength in her voice that hinted at defensiveness.

"I meant no insult, young Linilya," the Elder replied. "If you will excuse us briefly, we must discuss something before we release the two of you to your rest."

Linilya glanced at Legolas and saw him nod once. So she, too, bowed her head in acquiescence and the Elder filed out of the room. Wearily, she sat back in her chair. Her fingers still played with her ring, and it drew Legolas' attention. "May I ask you a question, little one? " She looked up at him and nodded, and he asked her softly, "What is the significance of your ring? I noticed that your fingers stray to it when you grow nervous."

"Oh," she looked down at her hands and folded them in her lap. The ring on her finger was a silver band with a slightly wider setting for a small circle of onyx. Over the onyx was a delicate silver tracery in the shape of a rose. "It was a gift from my foster-brother on my 100th birthday. He told me that it had been in the family for generations, but that our mother had wanted me to have it. He said that I would keep the spirit of the family alive well beyond the lives of anyone else."

She fell quiet again, waiting for his reaction, and was pleasantly surprised when he picked up her hand and looked at the ring more closely before saying, "It suits you very well. A lovely gift indeed."

Legolas had just released her hand when the Elders returned to the room. The head of the council stood in the center of the group and he alone spoke. "It is the decision of this Council that you, Linilya, will be accepted among our people. We wish for you to learn our ways, and that is best done among us. Further, we proclaim that your years spent alone shall serve to replace your traditional Year of Solitude and you shall be given your adult name. Since you lack a father to choose your name, we give this honor to the Elf who brought you to us. Legolas," the Elder looked at him, "I bid you choose a name for our new kindred."

Legolas was clearly startled, and his mind raced. He wished to choose a name that would suit her, and at last he found one. "I give her the name Morningstar. From today forward, she shall be known as Linilya Aurêl. I hope it is to your liking, my Lady."

Linilya flushed prettily, but her voice was pleased. "It is, my Lord. I thank you all." She bowed first to the Elders and then to Legolas.

"Then it is decided and shall be announced at daybreak tomorrow. This council is hereby dismissed." The two younger elves left the council chamber by the main door while the Elder exited via the council doors.

"Is your new name truly to your liking, little one?" Legolas asked as they walked down the hall and into the fresh air of the outdoors. Most of Mirkwood's population may live in the great cave-palace, but Legolas had always preferred the woods to the caverns and he spent as much time as possible without rather than within.

"It truly is, Legolas. Thank you." It had, at first, been a struggle for her to use his unadorned name. But over the weeks of travel from the western Wilderlands to Mirkwood they had grown comfortable with each other. He had taken to calling her "little one" and she had begun to feel drawn to him in a way she had never experienced before.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

See chapter 1 for headers, etc.

Note: According to my beta-reader, there is some question regarding whether Elves celebrate their the date of their birth or of their conception. Since I can't find anything definitive, and "anniversary of conception" seems a rather long term for a casual discussion, I have left this as originally written. If Elves do, in fact, celebrate their conception rather than their birth, please let me know where the information was found! In the meantime, "birthday" will have to serve. You get the idea, right?

* * *

Chapter 2

Legolas led her to one of his favorite places to sit: a fall of rocks from the mountain sat near the mouth of a stream. They sat for some moments in silence before Legolas spoke again, "Will you tell me more about your family, Linilya?" he asked softly. "I have no wish to bring back unpleasant things, but I would like to hear more about it, if I may. I have never lived among Men."

"I will, if afterwards you would tell me of your life. You have lived far longer than I, and my knowledge of Elves is not consistent... " She dearly wished she knew more about the people of her birth. This trading of stories with Legolas seemed to be her best opportunity.

"Very well, we shall exchange, " Legolas agreed.

Linilya reiterated a bit of what she had said earlier to the council, telling with a bit more detail how her foster-father had found her. Then she continued on, telling him of some of her happy childhood memories. "For my 40th birthday, my father, mother, brother and sister went on a picnic. We rode horses, heading inland. We went up to the top of a hill some few hours ride away from home. And it was simply beautiful... the grasslands spread out beneath us, the river a silver ribbon glowing in the sun, and off in the distance was a forest of dark greens and misty hazes. It was truly a lovely sight."

Legolas smiled gently as her words painted a picture for him. "From the way you describe it, I can almost see it in my mind." After a brief pause, he asked her, "You remembered when your birthday was, then? I would have thought you were too young to know the calendar."

"Indeed I was," Linilya agreed. "But I knew that it was around the time that the flowers were beginning to bloom and the leaves were coming back to the trees. So my family decided that we would celebrate on the seventh day of spring, since I seemed to them to be 7 years old, in human terms, when they found me."

"I see. In a manner of speaking, it seems a good way to mark an event that one wants to remember." Legolas' voice showed only the barest hint of his feelings. He felt rather sorry for her, not knowing when she'd been born. One's birthday was not terribly important after several hundred years of life, but the coming of age celebration was one every Elf looked forward to. And it was one that she had never known. Perhaps for her next birthday, he would have to arrange a celebration for her.

Linilya watched Legolas for a few moments, a smile of amusement on her lips as she watched his mind wander with his thoughts. He was, like all elves she'd met thus far, very good at keeping his emotions buried within himself. But that didn't mean that she couldn't tell when something was on his mind. She was accustomed to dealing with stoic beings; she had done so for much of her life.

When he finally noticed that she had fallen quiet, his eyes lost their inward look and returned to her, a question in them. She answered his silent question with a question of her own, "Where did you go, just now? What were you thinking?"

Her question took him aback and he briefly considered what response he should make. Finally he simply said, "The story of your birthday past left me thinking of one of my own." Legolas was relieved when she seemed to accept that answer, simply nodding in response. "Please, continue your tale."

She shook her head and smiled softly. "Truly, there is not much more to tell unless you wish to know what we ate, what gifts I was given, or how long we spent on the hilltop. But simple memories are often the happiest. I remember summers spent near the river, learning to swim with my sisters and brothers. I remember evenings spent sitting on the seat before the upstairs window, gazing up at the stars and hearing tales of their naming. And countless evenings before the fire with all the family gathered together to tell stories and sing songs. On many such evenings, my family bid me to sing. Anything that came to mind, they urged me. And so I would sing whatever songs I could think of. Some in the Common Tongue, some in Elvish. Happy songs brought much joy, and sad songs often brought people to tears. I never did decide if it was the story or simply the way I sang it, but some said that it was me and my singing that did it." Linilya blushed lightly and ducked her head, her long hair shadowing her face.

Legolas smiled and reached out to brush her hair away from her face, his fingertips gentle. "You have no need to feel embarrassed, little one. You do indeed have a lovely voice, and there are some singers who have the talent to move others to tears. It is a combination of the song's tale and the singer's ability to put emotion into the music. I do not find it hard to believe that you possess such a skill. Your voice is musical, even in ordinary speech."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice soft but warm. Then she changed the subject, as was her tendency when an emotion came upon her that she did not know how to handle. "Will you tell me now of your life here, please? You said that my story brought to your mind a birthday of yours. Will you tell me of that?"

"If you wish," he told her, though he decided to tell her a tale of a different birthday celebration than the one he had initially thought of. He wished to surprise her with her own coming of age celebration. "We elves to not celebrate birthdays yearly, for a single turning of the seasons means little over the course of thousands of years. But those closest to us will often give small gifts or leave them for us to find on that day of the year. We usually celebrate every hundred years or so, as a century is somewhat more noticeable in the span of our lives."

"I can understand that," she spoke into the quiet when he paused. "I myself have not truly celebrated my birthday since I left my foster-family. After the first few difficult years, the passing of time meant little, save that I was still safe and content."

Legolas nodded. "It is much the same for us, save that there are loved ones near who seldom forget little things like that." He smiled, remembering the occasional reminder of his own birthday coming when he woke to find that someone had left his favorite sweet-cake outside of his door. "When celebrations occur, they are very rarely planned by the one who is having the birthday. I have never planned an event for myself, and would not be surprised if I never needed to. Parents plan celebrations when one is younger and friends when one is older. If you are lucky enough to find a life-love and marry, then your husband will probably plan them from that point on. I have gotten together with friends to plan parties for others, and they have always been happy times.

"But you wish to hear about one of my celebrations, you said?" At her nod, he smiled and continued. "Then I shall tell you of my 1300th birthday."

Linilya drew one leg up onto the rock she sat upon and wrapped her arms around it, settling in to listen to his tale. As a child she had always loved stories; from this one she also hoped to gain some bits of information she would need to be accepted in Elven society.

"The celebration was planned for me by two of my closest friends, Helinan and Kaylin. In some ways, I knew something was going on but I did not really think about it overmuch. I simply let events happen as they would. So I was a little surprised when they came to me, as excited as a pair of younglings, and grabbed hold of my hands. They pulled me out of the caverns and into the forest. There is a large clearing somewhat to the east of here, a grassy area near a large lake. It was to that clearing they brought me, and I could hardly believe all that they accomplished. Tables were scattered about, containing food and drink and sweets enough for hundreds of elves. There was the usual music and singing, but also dancing and tale telling as well. People moved about singly or in groups and a pleasant time was had by all. As is custom, throughout the night those who wished to give me gifts drew me aside. And lovely gifts they were, too. After a few gifts, I had to find myself a place to put them all because there were far too many to hold for the night. When the party came to an end, sometime around dawn, I had to ask my friends to help me carry my new possessions back to my home."

"Is that where this came from," Linilya reached out and just barely touched the fine gold chain about his neck as she spoke. "I have only known you a few weeks, yet I have never seen you without it. It seems to hide itself, but I saw you looking at the pendant one night on the road."

"Indeed, it was my gift from Kaylin. She is very skilled at making jewelry, and she made this for me." Legolas lifted the chain over his head and held it so she could look at the pendant.

It was a mallorn leaf, soft green on the front and gold on the reverse. It was delicately made, a fine veining visible on the surface of the leaf. It almost looked real. "It's beautiful, Legolas," Linilya breathed after a moment of studying it. "I can see why it is special to you. And thank you, for telling me the tale. It sounds as if it must have been lovely."

"You are quite welcome," he answered with a gentle look in his eyes. Then he glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was growing dark. "But for now, I believe we should head back in. It will be dark soon, and it has been a long day for the both of us."

Legolas smiled to himself as they walked back to the mountain that housed most of the Elves in Mirkwood. She seemed to him to be like a younger sister, looking up to him to help her settle into this new life she had found. And he would do his best to help her. He promised himself that, as he had promised her in his mind. She would not be alone any longer.

End


End file.
